Agreements Signed For Sharing Anti-Doping Information

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UK Anti-Doping has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), setting out clear guidelines for sharing information in the fight against the supply and trafficking of doping related substances and activities in sport.

Good information sharing is at the heart of effective law enforcement. SOCA's partnership with UK Anti-Doping will not only help them target traffickers but will also protect athletes.

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UK Anti-Doping has today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), setting out clear guidelines for sharing information in the fight against the supply and trafficking of doping related substances and activities in sport.

This latest development enhances UK Anti-Doping’s ability to prevent, deter, detect and enforce any anti-doping rule violation in all sports under the World Anti-Doping Code. Partnerships with agencies such as SOCA and MHRA are fundamental to ensuring that UK Anti-Doping has access to valuable information so as to focus on those wishing to gain from the supply and trafficking of prohibited substances.

The MoUs have been developed over many months and ensure that any information shared is done so in keeping with relevant legislative requirements. It is anticipated that a final MoU will be signed with the UK Border Agency in the near future, complimenting the various skills, expertise and responsibilities of SOCA and the MHRA.

UK Anti-Doping's Chief Executive, Andy Parkinson said “When creating UK Anti-Doping as an independent agency in 2009, our vision was to build a centralised body that firstly removed the conflict of interest of sports in the area of doping and secondly allowed us to establish partnerships with public authorities. Today, we are delighted to formalise our already strong partnerships with SOCA and MHRA so as to strengthen our ability to tackle the supply chain of doping related substances and intensify our activities in the global fight against doping in sport. This should send another clear message to those who are considering trafficking or supplying doping substances, that the net is closing in and we are doing all we can to protect the rights of athletes to compete in doping-free sport.”

SOCA Director General, Trevor Pearce said “Good information sharing is at the heart of effective law enforcement. SOCA's partnership with UK Anti-Doping will not only help them target traffickers but will also protect athletes."

MHRA Director of Inspection, Enforcement and Standards, Gerald Heddell said “MHRA is pleased to sign an MoU with UK Anti-Doping and formalise a mutually beneficial arrangement between our two organisations. The MHRA has a remit to protect public health through safeguarding the safety and quality of medicines on the UK marketplace. Athletes consuming performance-enhancing drugs may be taking unlicensed medicines which have no proven compliance with set standards on safety and quality. MHRA look forward to the exchange of information which will assist to identify unsafe medicines being available in the UK.MHRA congratulate UK Anti-Doping on the development and signing of three MoUs with partner agencies - SOCA and UKBA.”

Information will be shared with UK Anti-Doping by both SOCA and MHRA when it relates to the detection, deterrence, enforcement or prevention of an anti-doping rule violation.

UK Anti-Doping will share information with SOCA when it relates to the prevention, detection, investigation or prosecution of serious organised crime, or the reduction of crime.

UK Anti-Doping will share information with MHRA when it relates to the detection, deterrence, enforcement or prevention of statutory breaches of the medicines and medical devices legislation relating to the sale, supply and distribution of medical products for human use.

UK Anti-Doping
UK Anti-Doping is the National Anti-Doping Organisation for the UK.
UK Anti-Doping has responsibility for ensuring sports bodies in the UK are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Code through implementation and management of the UK’s National Anti-Doping Policy.
UK Anti-Doping’s functions include an education and information programme, athlete testing across more than 40 sports, intelligence management and exclusive results management authority for the determination of anti-doping rule violations.

Accountable to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), UK Anti-Doping has a very clear remit in anti-doping in the UK and plays a lead role in the fight against doping in sport.
SOCA is an executive non-departmental public body of the Home Office which was formed in April 2006 to tackle serious organised crime. For further information on SOCA visit the website http://www.soca.gov.uk

The MHRA is the government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe. No product is risk-free. Underpinning all our work lie robust and fact-based judgements to ensure that the benefits to patients and the public justify the risks. We keep watch over medicines and devices, and take any necessary action to protect the public promptly if there is a problem. We encourage everyone – the public and healthcare professionals as well as the industry – to tell us about any problems with a medicine or medical device, so that we can investigate and take any necessary action. http://www.mhra.gov.uk